A suit aiming to disqualify Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has been dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite stated that the suit lacked merit as the plaintiff did not provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations of certificate forgery against Ewhrudjakpo.
Nwite also imposed a cost of N500,000 on the plaintiff in favor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the 3rd defendant in the case.
Shortly before the November 11, 2023 Bayelsa governorship election, a new suit seeking the disqualification of Diri and Ewhrudjakpo was brought before Justice Nwite.
Filed by Mrs. Blessing Clement Azibanagbal, a Bayelsa resident, through her lawyer Ifeanyi Nsowu, the suit was marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/1448/23.
An affidavit in support of the originating summons was submitted by Yenle Istifanus, a litigation secretary with Compendium Chambers, asserting that Azibanagbal, as a Nigerian citizen from Bayelsa, had the legal right to initiate the action.
The originating summons was dated October 26, 2023, and filed on October 30, 2023, listing Diri, Ewhrudjakpo, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.
The lawsuit requested a mandatory injunction directing INEC to remove Diri and Ewhrudjakpo’s names as PDP candidates in the upcoming election and a perpetual injunction preventing further publication of their names by INEC or any associated parties.
Diri and his deputy submitted their counter affidavit to contest the application.
During the judgment delivery, Justice Nwite noted that the exhibits attached to the plaintiff’s amended originating summons, including documents like a deed poll for proper name arrangement of Ewhrudjakpo, failed to substantiate the claim of differing names on Ewhrudjakpo’s certificates.
“The documents provided by the plaintiff to support her case do not conclusively prove that the 2nd defendant (Ewhrudjakpo) is unqualified due to presenting false information,” remarked the judge.